"It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars was the bravest man who ever lived” (Lee 134.) Atticus raised his children in a time period where society treated you by the color of your skin and not for who you are. Atticus and his children are full of confidence and bravery during a time of inequality, depression, and racism. Atticus stood up to what he believed in and he was most importantly brave. His daughter Scout had to stand up to all the hatred she was getting for her father's trial. Atticus took many risks knowing that the outcome may not be favorable towards him. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird , Harper Lee displays that Bravery and Courage are important life traits, and can help …show more content…
Bravery and Courage are such important traits during a hard time or a period of loss. Atticus knows that the trial will most likely not go his way and that Tom Robinson will most likely be convicted guilty, but he still tries his hardest to prove Tom’s innocence. “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win”(Lee 101.) This quote explains when Atticus tells Scout why he is defending Tom in the trial. Atticus tells Scout that she and her brother needs to be brave and that it would be the right thing to defend Tom. No other lawyer had enough courage to defend a black man against a white jury. Like her father, Scout is another character who displays the traits bravery and courage throughout the …show more content…
Scout is courageous throughout the book, she was a tomboy from the beginning and is willing to fight against any boy or adult who questions her . While much conflict and absurdity was occurring around the trail, Scout had to be courageous and brave.Some of her bravery comes from having the negativity of being a child during a time of segregation amongst different races. People in the town of Maycomb would give the whole Finch family a hard time, just because Atticus was defending a black man. Scout would get hurtful comments said to her about her father, and was even attacked by Mr. Ewell, who tried to kill her, and her brother Jem. “ Your shaman him Miss. Caroline, Walter hasn't got a quarter at home to bring you, and you can't use any stovewood….Miss Caroline stood shock still, then grabbed me by the collar…” (Lee 28.) This quote demonstrates how Scout showed bravery and spoke out to Miss. Caroline to help out Walter, on behalf of the students. She is aware that Miss. Caroline yells at her for all most anything she says, but speaks out anyway because she is brave and wants to help Walter, knowing that their family does not have much. Scout is making Walter feel less embarrassed for the fact that he is poor. Scout shows bravery throughout the whole novel, and courage and bravery are what get her through all the conflict and dispute that is occurring in
When looking at To Kill a Mockingbird, one can see that Lee uses lots of description, dialogue, and actions to portray Atticus as a heroic individual. The most important thing Atticus teaches in To Kill a Mockingbird is the message about how to best educate a child. From the beginning of the book, it's plain to see that Atticus has been down on his luck most of his life. "It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyways and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do"(124).
"Courage isn't an absence of fear. It's doing what you are afraid to do. It's having the power to let go of the familiar and forge ahead into new territory." ~John Maxwell. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout (Jean Louise Finch), Jem (Jeremy Atticus Finch), and Atticus Finch display acts of valor that contribute, and in some cases encourage their rectitude. Harper Lee demonstrates that acting courageously can lead to an improved, sustained, or newly developed personal integrity.
In a world of racism and prejudice towards blacks, winning a case for a black is near impossible. However, a brave lawyer takes a case for a black man. Will he win or will he lose? In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a young girl’s father willingly accepts a case that he knows he won’t win. He must defend a black man who has been charged with the assault of a white girl. Atticus, the lawyer, is justified in defending the black man, even though he won’t win because he has the best chance of winning, he needs to protect his integrity and he will procure more followers than enemies.
Atticus is possibly the most courageous character in To Kill A Mockingbird. He often shows his courage by simply doing the right thing. For example, In the mad dog scene Atticus is called by Calpurnia to deal with a rabid dog. Atticus alerts the sheriff, and when they reach the Finch’s, the sheriff hands off the rifle to Atticus because he doubts his own shooting abilities. Atticus doesn’t want to show his children he can shoot because he likes to solve problems with non-violence, but he goes ahead and shoots the dog anyway. Atticus did the right thing because the mad dog needed to be taken care of efficiently and missed shots could mean the dog reaching them. Another example of Atticus b...
The best character best to choose for courage in this situation is Atticus, the lawyer. One of the key moments of him displaying courage is when he decided to defend a black man named Tom Robinson for the rape of Mayella Ewells. One example is in particular this time blacks and whites didn’t really get along especially in Maycomb, Alabama. What was so significant was that Atticus did defend Tom and everyone thought he was crazy except the black folk they loved him. Atticus sighed. “I’m simply defending a Negro—his name’s Tom Robinson. He
Atticus showed courage when in the book he decided that he would stand up for Tom Robinson, a Negro recently victimized by false rape, in court and try his best not to let an innocent man die. This is shown when Scout heard from a kid at school who is making fun of her because her dad defends Negroes. Later Atticus is talking to Scout about defending Negroes and when Scout asked him if he really does do that, Atticus replied, of course I do, but he also replied saying that he knows he should not. Although Atticus decided to defend Tom he knew at the beginning of the trial he was going to lose and he said that there was no point in him trying. “Atticus, are we going to win it?” “No, honey,” “Then why-” “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win,” (Lee 101). This shows how Atticus knew that he was not going to win, but he still tried. That also shows how, even though helping a Negro was considered unacceptable, disturbing, and ridiculous at that time, Atticus was willing to risk his social life with friends too, as well as what people thought of him, help out
Scout first learns to show compassion and tolerance by refusing to go to school because she hates Miss Caroline. Atticus tells her that, 'First of all, if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it'; (30). When Atticus told her this, she began to accept Miss Caroline as well as other people's differences and opinions.
Caroline's point of view, which made her realize that she had, ¨... learned many things today, and Miss Caroline had learned several things herself. She had learned not to hand something to a Cunningham, for one thing, but if Walter and I had put ourselves in her shoes we’d have seen it was an honest mistake on her part. We could not expect her to learn all Maycomb’s ways in one day, and we could not hold her responsible when she knew no better.¨ (30). This made Scout realize that Ms. Caroline wasn’t a bad person just not informed about the people in Maycomb County
From all of these, she learns to look at the individuality of the others. For Scouts, courage is most often something with physical activity and involves personal danger. It is very difficult for Scouts to see that greater courage is often required in other places of life. Scout learns that the greatest courage can be found in a situation where a person knows that he is going to lose and still continues to fight. To prove this, Miss Lee first had Scout observe her father perform a physical act of courage when he shoots the charging mad dog.
In words of advice to his son, Jem, Atticus explains: “ ‘I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what’ ” (Lee 149). Atticus shows his children true courage by taking on Tom Robinson’s case, even though he knows with absolute certainty that he won’t succeed. Atticus’s ability to remain strong in the face of racial adversity earns him not only his reputation in the community, but also the hard-won respect of his children. Scout and Jem are finally able to appreciate Atticus as a father figure because he has proven to them that he is a true hero, even though he is not the most popular or athletic father in town. Atticus is willing to stand up for his values as fearlessly as he shot down the rabid dog, which makes Atticus one of the most courageous characters in To Kill A
Atticus is a great leader of his family, teaching his children morals and life lessons. He makes them better people by showing them how to deal with the trial and people making fun of them. Atticus teaches Scout how to respect other people. First, Scout learns to respect Atticus, then to respect "Boo" Radley, and finally to respect a whole race of people, negroes. He makes it a common practice to live his life as he would like his children to live theirs, and thus displays the attributes of an honest, respectable, and kind man. Throughout the trial process, Atticus shows Jem and Scout that true courage is standing up for what you believe in and that all human beings, despite their race, deserve respect. "You never really understand a person until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." This quote shows that Atticus wants his children to get along with people, and so other people will respect them for whom they are.
Firstly, Atticus demonstrated mental courage when he undertook the task of defending Tom Robinson, a black man who was wrongly accused of rape, in court. He had to persevere through many hardships in order to make a statement in the community. Atticus knew he would not win the case against the all white jury and like Mrs. Dubose in her struggle against morphine, Atticus lost before he even began. Nevertheless, Atticus knew that Tom was innocent and was willing to stand up for him because nobody else would. Since Atticus stayed true to himself and did only what is morally correct, he fought this case with great determination. He wanted the people of Maycomb to know the truth about what happened to Mayella Ewell, but even the truth would not free Tom Robinson. "That boy might go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told." (Lee, 146) Atticus showed true courage in going against Maycomb, a mostly prejudice town. He was given names like “nigger lover” and was looked down upon heavily but that did not stop him. On the other hand, Mayella Ewell decided to lie about the case because othe...
Without courageous people, human society would not progress. This is evident in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, whereby a few heroic individuals inspire transformations in a racist community. One of the characters who shows bravery is Tom Robinson. Even though he knows he will most likely lose, he goes on trial and fights for justice and truth. Another person who displays inner strength is Boo Radley. He is able to break out of his comfort zone and stand up for what is right, despite his fear. The most daring character in the novel is Atticus Finch. Although most of the town is against him, he continues onward and faces hatred with dignity and respect. Each of these extraordinary individuals represent Harper Lee’s belief that real courage is doing the right thing, even if it requires standing up against the majority.
Courage exists in several forms in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. As defined by Atticus Finch, real courage "…when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (149). The novel explores the how this real courage can be shown in different ways through the lives of many characters in Maycomb, particularly, Tom Robinson, Mrs. Dubose, and Atticus. Their courage is evident through their lifestyle, actions, and beliefs.
Scout believes at the beginning of the book that courage is all to do with physical feats like fist fighting. Scout and Jem though Atticus was courageous when he shot the mad dog, but Atticus just shrugged it off telling his children that that is not ? real courage?. The children soon see that moral courage is more valuable after Miss Dubose said "Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!" Chapter 11, Page 113 after they walked past her house.